STATE ACCOUNTSWestern Australia's state final demand (trend chain volume measures) grew 2.3% ($643 million) to $28,077 million in the March quarter 2007, following increases of 1.5% and 2.1% in the September and December quarters of 2006 respectively.

PRICESGrowth in Perth's consumer price index continued to slow over the last three quarters, from a peak of 1.8% in the June quarter 2006 to 0.2% in the March quarter 2007. Growth in Western Australia's wage price index of total hourly rates of pay (excluding bonuses) remained steady at 1.1% in the March quarter 2007.

CONSUMPTIONWestern Australia recorded a total of $6,220 million in retail turnover (trend) in the three months to April 2007, an increase of 3.2% ($191 million) on the previous three month period. Sales of new motor vehicles (trend) rose consecutively over the last 16 months in Western Australia, from 8,701 vehicles in January 2006 to 9,970 vehicles in May 2007.

INVESTMENT AND FINANCEIn seasonally adjusted chain volume terms, business investment in Western Australia rose 8.9% ($389 million) in the March quarter 2007. The number of dwellings financed for owner occupation (trend) in Western Australia recovered from 7 consecutive months of decline between May 2006 (9,602 commitments) and December 2006 (8,423 commitments), to rise in each of the last 4 months to 8,703 commitments in April 2007.

CONSTRUCTION
In the three months to April 2007, the total number of house approvals (trend) fell 4.6% (226 approvals) in Western Australia, compared to the previous three month period, while the total number of non-house approvals fell 19.3% (245 approvals).

TRADE
Western Australia's trade surplus grew 34.2% ($2,196 million) to $8,615 million through the year to March quarter 2007. However, it was 13.5% ($1,349 million) lower than the surplus in the preceding period of $9,964 million - the highest surplus on record.

MINING
Expenditure on mineral exploration (trend) in Western Australia rose 9.2% ($18 million) to $217 million in the March quarter 2007, the 5th successive quarterly rise since the December quarter 2005 ($145 million).

TOURISMBetween the March quarters of 2006 and 2007, the largest increases in overseas holidaymakers to Western Australia were from the United Kingdom and Ireland (up 1,077 persons or 5.0%), Singapore (up 989 persons or 15.1%) and South Africa (up 575 persons or 65.3%), while 12,138 (22.9%) more Western Australian residents departed overseas on holiday.

LABOUR MARKET
Western Australia's full-time employment (trend) rose 0.3% (up 2,600 persons) to 776,100 persons in the three months to May 2007, following growth of 0.7% (5,400 persons) in the previous three month period. The unemployment rate (trend) in Western Australia fell marginally, from 3.0% in February 2007 to 2.9% in May 2007.

POPULATION
The preliminary estimated resident population for Western Australia was 2,080,966 in the December quarter 2006, an increase of 11,089 persons (0.54%) from the previous quarter.

SOCIAL TRENDS - POPULATION AND HEALTH
In percentage terms, Western Australia's population growth of 17% between June 1996 and June 2006 was higher than the national average of 13% and was the 2nd highest among the states and territories behind Queensland with 23%. In 2005, there were 11,300 deaths registered in Western Australia. The underlying causes of death were mainly cancer (malignant neoplasms), ischaemic heart disease and stroke - together accounting for more than half (55%) of all deaths.

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